A Perfect Match for Adrien Agreste

Acting Could Keep You Alive... Right?

The door to Adrien's bedroom flew open at the sound of the thump. The three women returning to decipher the sound's location moved around the room as the security system was locked in place. The wall of windows in the room now covered with large metal bars on the inside and thick sheets of metal on the outside.

Marinette could hear the clicking of Natalie's heels along with two other pair of feet making their way throughout the room. Groaning as she grabbed her lower back she sat enough to shuffle behind a small chair in the corner of the loft and hide. "She's in here and now there is nowhere for her to go. She's locked in and Adrien is locked out, Sir. There shouldn't be any trouble retrieving the miraculous now," Marinette could make out Gabriel's voice as he called for his transformation, through the tablet, she knew Natalie still held.

Shit, this isn't good, she thought, looking around the loft for a place to hide her earrings. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of red and swooping black blur. "Tikki, Plagg, is that you?" Marinette whispered as quietly as she could to not be heard as the first intruder took the final step onto the loft.

"Marinette, are you okay?" A sweet, high-pitched voice sounded to her right, close enough to touch. "Tikki, I'm okay from the fall, but I need you and Plagg to leave, get out of here and take the earrings." Marinette held her now red and black spotted studs in her hand, the little red god pulling them to her chest and looking to Plagg. "Go Sugarcube, I need to stay with pigtails," the black cat kwami rubbed up against Tikki, sending her away after scenting her.

She looked back at Marinette, a small smile on her face, waiting for her holder to excuse her, "Tikki, get the earrings to Alya, you have to keep them safe. I've got Pla..." Tikki, turned flying through the bookshelf before she was seen as Marinette's voice stopped, the chair she hid behind pulled from in front of her. Plagg immediately flying in between her face and where Lila stood above her, a menacing smirk on her face.

"I found her she's in the loft," Lila's fake sing song voice spread throughout the room due to the high ceilings. The sound of an additional pair of shoes rushing up the stairs made Marinette curse under her breath. "Adrien's kwami is here too," Lila screeched out as Kagami made her way to stand beside her. "Why would he leave his kwami?" Kagami asked monotone as always.

A snarl came from Plagg as he puffed out his chest. "You will not touch pigtails; Adrien's order is to protect her." Plagg played the girls as if he was under orders from his holder, "I'm to cataclysm anyone that tries to harm a hair on her head," he turned back to Marinette, winking then turning back to the two women standing above her. "Am I clear... cataclysm," he growled out as they backed away, his paw now sparking with dark energy.

Immediately, the two women ran toward the stairs and down to the main bedroom as Plagg flew to the edge cackling. "Plagg!" A deep unimpressed voice from below bellowed out, "if you wish to have any more cheese purchased in this house, you will stop this foolishness. The girl is Ladybug, and we need her earrings for the wish." Marinette knew that voice. She had heard it the few times team miraculous had fought Chat, Mayura, and... Hawkmoth. It was Gabriel he was here, and he had her trapped.

Standing slowly to her feet, she knew she needed to find a way out of this mess. She was stuck here and Adrien was stuck outside, well until he arrived back, and Hawkmoth needed his ring to make the wish. Luckily Tikki had gotten away with the earrings, before they found her, but without a miraculous she was a sitting duck.

"Plagg," she whispered, "go to Adrien. I don't have the earrings; they can't guarantee I'm Ladybug. Have him come back, please go quickly." Plagg turned back to look at her, his eyes pleading for her to change her mind, "Plagg, go. I'll be okay." With a nod the kwami flew down from the loft into Hawkmoth's view, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry directly in his face, before flying away laughing his little furry self-silly as he phased through the blocked windows. "Ugh, I hate that fucking kwami," she heard her nemesis say from below as she giggled, her only plan now was to surrender and hope the kwami's hurried back with help.

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"Ah... Mlle. Dupain-Cheng," Hawkmoth spoke as her head came into view over the glass railing that kept her from falling down below. "Please join us, down here, we have much to discuss." She knew she couldn't act like Ladybug, she had to play the frightened civilian girl, who just happened to fall in love with his son. Though she couldn't let him know she knew he was Gabriel either. That would but a bullseye on her back even if she wasn't a superhero. Knowing Hawkmoth's identity, he would kill her, she knew he had no qualms with murder. Adrien had told her enough to know how far Gabriel was willing to use his power to gain the miraculous and make his wish.

Taking a deep breath and sucking it in as loudly as she could manage, she pulled every ounce of theatre class training she could, squeaking out, "Hawkmoth." Opening her eyes as wide as she could, she brought her hand to her mouth, trying to show shock in her expression. "I know you are aware that Adrien is Chat Noir. The kwami of destruction gave that away. Now Marinette, I will ask once and only once. Come down from the loft and do not make me have to retrieve you myself, or this will be much worse for you."

Turning from her location, Marinette knew she would be better off if she followed his instructions. She didn't have what he needed, but she was his son's girlfriend, so she could only hope he wouldn't kill her immediately. At the final step to the main level of Adrien's room, Lila and Kagami grabbed her, each with a solid hold on one arm. A kick to the back of her knees causing her legs to collapse under her as they pulled her toward Paris's enemy number one.

"Please, please don't hurt me. I don't know what I did or what you want with me!" Marinette pleaded, hoping he would buy the act. "Oh, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. I think you know more than you let on," he reached to push a strand of hair from blocking her ear, only to see nothing there. "Where are they!" A loud, booming snarl erupted from the tall, purple and silver glad supervillain.

"Wha...what are you..." His large hand made contact with her cheek, stopping her question. His large fingers then grabbing her now burning skin and squeezing as his face moved directly in front of hers, "where are the earrings? You have worn earrings since the day you arrived here, where are they?" His voice was not pleasant, and Marinette knew she was limiting her time, but she couldn't admit to being Ladybug.

"The...the bwak studths?" she questioned, her voice a lisp from how he was pushing against her jaw. He threw her head back, not gently at all, commanding her to speak again. As she moved her jaw to loosen the sore muscles she looked directly into his eyes, "the black studs? One of them was cracked and I threw them in the trash as I was leaving the photoshoot. I think you remember it, you akumatized me. Actually, I think Chat Noir might have been the one to break it and release the akuma." She allowed herself to smile up at him as she mentally patted herself on the back.

She could see the recognition in his eyes as she mentioned the event the day before and the fight in his mind that maybe he had been wrong. His eyes lifted to the two holding her as he instructed, "take her to the lair, you know where to keep her. Adrien should be home soon we will find out soon enough, what is true and what isn't." As Hawkmoth turned to leave the room, Marinette heard him say, "enjoy your little nap, Marinette." The next thing she felt was a hard object hitting her head, her eyes blurring in that moment until everything suddenly went dark.